


Seeing Red

by Finale



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-21
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-08-16 10:33:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8098813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finale/pseuds/Finale
Summary: Gotham's going to be seeing red...





	

“You know they aren’t going to stop even if you tell them to,” Dick points out, frowning slightly. “Like, they already helped you take down Slade. They aren’t going to hang their capes up after that. They’re going to keep trying to protect Gotham no matter what either of us say.” 

“I’m aware of that,” Bruce half growls, rubbing at his temples. He regrets that Hal’s offworld dealing with Sinestro. He’d love to have his boyfriend here right now. “Which is why I’ve made it clear they are going to work with me, not by themselves.” 

“Wait, what?” Dick asks, gaping at him. “Just like that?”

“Yes, just like that. I don’t need to find the corpses of children defending Gotham again. I’m going to keep an eye on all three of them. I’ve made it clear that all of them need more training before they can patrol or fight an enemy like Deathstroke again. But I’m not arrogant enough to think telling them to stop will get them to stop. Instead, I’m going to train them and keep them safe,” Bruce says. 

Both men ignore what Bruce doesn’t say. 

Keep them safe the way I failed with Jason.

*********

Red Robin. Black Bat. Spoiler. Tim Drake. Cassandra Cain. Stephanie Brown.

Jason studies the files he’d coaxed out of Talia’s possession on the three newest vigilantes in Gotham. She had almost been reluctant to give them to him, but they’d both known he’d need them. Hell, he didn’t have a grudge with those three. They were too taken in by the myth of Batman, the story. Not their faults they’re fighting Bruce’s losing war against Gotham’s sins. 

His heart almost feels warm at the homage in Tim Drake’s codename toward him. Oh, it was probably really a reference to Grayson, but he can fantasize. Cain’s identity makes sense too, but fuck if he gets why Brown is calling herself ‘Spoiler’. Some sort of weird reference to her deceased dad, a minor Gotham crook? Called himself Quizmaster of all fucking things… At least two of them stuck to theme, though he’s gotta give Brown style props for her costume. 

Jason glances over at the other newsclippings. A trail of Joker sightings, culminating in a recent ruinous attempt at freeing Harley Quinn from Belle Reeve. His lips twist into a snarl at the thought of either clown. If it wasn’t for either of them, he wouldn’t be like this.

There’s no mirrors in the apartment, but he knows what he’d see if he looked into one. A streak of white in his bangs, blue eyes twisted inhuman teal from the Lazarus Pit. Instead of the barely 5’8” he’d died at, now 6’3” and built like a brick wall. He’d died a child, come back a ghost and built himself into a monster. 

But soon he’ll be avenged. Soon he’ll get answers. Soon Gotham’ll be safe. 

Soon the Joker would be dead.

********

Tim ignores Steph and Cass’s flirting and keeps trying to decipher the weird code he’s been finding scattered around the city. B had verified it wasn’t a test from him, and Dick had sworn it wasn’t from him. Once he breaks it, he should be able to figure out who was writing it. He’d managed to do it in the past, with a few of Bruce’s tests (and an accidental discovery of a League of Assassins’ cypher, but Hal of all people had smoothed it over). 

“Wait, who’s the Red Hood?” Tim asks, startling both Steph and Cass. 

“A new figure in Gotham’s underground,” Steph says, and there’s a grimness to her blue eyes. Of all of them, she’s the most familiar with Gotham’s underground because of her dad. He has a more abstract, outsider view, and Cass is still learning. “Sounds like he’ll be a real threat. I know B’s looking into him. Trying to figure out who the Red Hood is exactly. He suddenly appeared out of nowhere, but he’s already taken down a few of the smaller crime families. The first I heard of his name was a week ago.” 

“That’s fast,” Tim says, frowning slightly. “Wait, if you first heard of him a week ago…”

“I brought it immediately to Bossman’s attention and he’s already looking into it,” Steph explains. “He was proud of how quickly I’d found the information. Apparently he’d heard about Hood only a day before I did.”

“Nice,” Cass nods, starting to wrap her hands for the night. 

“But why are you just mentioning him to us now?” Tim can’t help but ask, almost hurt that Steph hadn’t said anything before. 

“Bruce told me not to,” shrugs Steph. “I think he was hoping to get stuff dealt with before either of you heard about it. I think he was also curious if you’d hear about it from a source that wasn’t either of us.”

“I’ve been so distracted by the cypher I haven’t been paying attention to Gotham’s gossip,” Tim grimaces, knowing how stupid that is. He’s lived in Gotham his whole life; he knows better. 

“Most crooks are too scared to say anything near me,” Cass says, a slight hesitance to her words as she chooses them carefully. While how she was raised made her one of the most dangerous hand-to-hand fighters alive, even three years after running away from her father it was still hard for her to speak. “Don’t think I’d’ve known until you said something.” 

“Sorry,” Stephanie apologizes. “Next time I’ll ignore Bruce and just tell you what I hear.” 

“Same here,” Tim says, echoed by Cass. He gives up on the cypher for the night. Maybe he’ll have better luck in the morning. “Lets run patrol.” 

“Lets head out,” Cass agrees.

************

Jason grins as he checks his email and spies the response from Black Hand. After Deathstroke and Bruce’s battle almost six months ago the Gotham crime families had been running scared. With how quickly he’s managed to take down six smaller families, he knows he’s making people nervous. Even someone as ‘confident’ as Gotham’s number one crime lord. 

Number one crime lord whose about to become number one pawn. 

“Time to start the show.”


End file.
